


Witch Way is Love?

by EmternalSummers



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 乐华七子NEXT | NEX7, 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Because I was taught about European witches, Forbidden Love, Justin needs a babysitter, M/M, More boys might be added, Some graphic mentions, Tags subject to change and additions, They're all witches surprise, Think Old Europe, Use of English names because they make me giggle, Witch AU, Zhengting is Justin and Quanzhe's brother, boys being dumb, chengstin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-04
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 20:07:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22561489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmternalSummers/pseuds/EmternalSummers
Summary: Minghao's whole world consists of himself and his two brothers, wandering from village to village across the countryside. Never staying in one place for too long, they one day make it to a village where their residence will end up lasting longer than normal. During that time, Minghao comes face to face with the grandson of the local pastor, Adam. Over the month, he finds Adam more and more interesting, but there is one thing that complicates their whole love affair: Minghao is from a line of witches, a group hunted down by the church for ages.
Relationships: Fan Chengcheng/Huang Minghao | Justin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Me, writing a primarily Chengstin fic? More likely than you'd think

Minghao didn’t like remembering his childhood. He would remember moving around often with his parents, clinging to their legs as he was introduced to new neighbors regularly. He remembered clinging to his parents as his twin brother, Quanzhe, stood behind him and oldest brother, Zhengting, exchanged kind words with whoever they were talking to. He remembered playing in the streams and fields with Quanzhe without a care in the world. They would come back for dinner and eagerly tell tales of what they did together that day, the whole family loving their various exploits.

He would eventually come to remember his parents waking the three brothers up one night, having lived in one house for a strangely long time. They were pushing the three of them out of the house with them still in their pajamas, shouting at them to run far away from the house. Minghao had never seen his parents so alarmed, or so sad, as they stood at the back door to their little shack of a house, waving the boys off as they escaped into the woods.

They camped out in the woods for a few days after that before Zhengting told them they had to move again. Winter was coming soon and staying in the woods was a poor idea for all of them. That night, when both of his brothers were asleep, Minghao had run back towards the town, hoping to get some answers from the families there. Instead, when he slinked in from the forested edges to the main square of the town where two crosses were set up, a bundle of wood underneath both. The townspeople were chanting something as they all crowded around the two large crosses. Hiding behind a crate, he watched as a mob of townspeople dragged forward two adults dressed in scraps of cloth, chains settled around their ankles and wrists. Horrified, he watched as the two adults were affixed to the crosses and set aflame, the townspeople chanting at their demise.

Most importantly, he couldn’t help the scream that tore from his throat as his parents were enveloped in flames, drawing the attention of the townspeople to his hiding place. He could hear his parents telling him to run before the villagers began to chase after him, chanting “Down with the witch!” His small legs carried him into the woods and far, far away from his parents or brothers and away from those who wanted to do him harm. He didn't even realize his own pain until he eventually stopped running, legs giving way under him and pitiful cries filling the chilly autumn air.

It took another two weeks for Zhengting to find Minghao, just happening to quite literally stumble into him in a town a few days’ walk away from where their parents had been burned. The youngest brother was curled up into himself in a dirty alleyway, having been trying to survive alone, eating scraps he stole and dressed in nothing better than a few robes. It was then Zhengting promised to never let either twin out of his sight as they acted as drifters from town to town, never staying in one place for too long.

It was after this that Zhengting revealed to his brothers that they were from a family of witches, being able to bend nature to their wills, and that was why they have to keep moving. People didn’t like them or their powers. Stay in one place for too long, and someone might find out and try to chase them out, or at worse, kill them. Between villages, Zhengting would teach his brothers the basics of witchcraft he learned from the parents. They grew used to staying in towns for only a few days at a time under fake names. But, they could only go so far. Sometimes they would return to a town they had visited before and tried to stay as inconspicuous as possible, never wanting to draw attention to themselves.

It wasn’t until nearly a decade later when they returned to that village did Minghao feel sick. Stepping through the front gate immediately caused nausea to well up inside him, the main square still the same from when he last saw his parents burning to a crisp and screaming out his name. It only took seconds for him to beg his brother to leave and have them head towards the next town.

“We’re running low on money,” Zhengting started, pulling out the small leather bag that held their limited funds. “We might have to stay here for-”

“ _No_ ,” Minghao cut him off immediately, a deep frown on his face. “Can we at least go into the next town? Please, we can’t stay _here_.”

Zhengting sadly shook his head, closing up the pouch and placing it back in his cloak. “I’m sorry, Justin, but we really don’t have enough money to go any further. I didn’t want to stay here either, but…” The three glanced around the village, noticing it was far more populated than when they last were there nearly a decade ago.

“It won’t be for that long, right? Only like a month?” Quanzhe said, trying to look hopeful between his two brothers. Zhengting nodded in agreement.

“One month, no more, no less,” Minghao hissed, crossing his arms over his chest. Zhengting smiled softly before rustling Minghao’s hair and leading the way towards the local church. It was the center of town and often had information posted on it for various odd jobs. This was the kind of work they were used to, temporary jobs that paid enough for them to get an inn, some dinner, and clothes at some other village further away.

“One month. Got it. Now, let’s see if we can find any work.” They approached the bulletin board in front of the church, looking over the various inquiries that were affixed to it.

“You boys looking for work?” A voice called from next of them. Zhengting straightened himself, a smile gracing his face as they turned to face the owner of the voice. He was an older gentleman, sweeping off the steps of the church. He leaned on the old broom as they spoke, affixing each brother with a stern look.

“Yes, actually. We’re only here for a little bit, so we thought why not make a little money while we’re at it?” Minghao and Quanzhe stood behind Zhengting, eyeing the man who spoke to them. They knew to let Zhengting do all the talking, their older brother being much better at working his way to gain the trust of the locals.

“Go to the house at the end of the main thoroughfare, right at the top of the hill. The ol' pastor lives up there with some servants and I’m sure he could always do with a few more. Been complainin’ bout the lack of good workers these days!” The older man laughed, before it developed into a harsh cough that seemed to rattle his bones.

Immediately, Quanzhe went forward, searching for something in his cloak. He pulled out a small collection of herbs, offering them up with a smile. “Here, these are good for coughing. They’re from the northern lands, so I don’t have many, but they should be able to help you! You just need to steep them into a tea and it should help.”

The old man looked down at him skeptically before nodded and taking them out of the older twin’s hand and tucking them into a pocket of his overalls. “You travelers?” Though he said it to the small group in general, his gaze seemed to linger on Minghao a little longer than the other two.

“Yes. Our parents were apothecaries, though only this one here ever picked up on it,” Zhengting said, hugging Quanzhe close to him and looking down at him with pride. “They passed a few years ago, caught up in a border skirmish as we were crossing.”

The older man nodded, his face turning grim. “God bless them. And you as well, and good luck with work.”

“Thank you. May God bless your soul, kind sir.” Zhengting said, bowing slightly. The twins followed his actions, softly saying their own blessings and bowing before turning to head up the road towards the house they were directed towards.

As they continued, Minghao couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. Glancing back over his shoulder, he noticed the old man glaring at him from the steps of the church. He quickly averted his gaze back to the road in front of him and picked up his pace slightly, trying to match Zhengting’s stride.

“Something wrong?” The eldest said softly, noticing the sudden change in Minghao’s step. The youngest merely shook his head as they approached the steps of the large house on the top of the hill. The house itself was far grander than any of those below it and had a large sprawl of land located behind it. It was obvious that the pastor who lived here was far wealthier than any of the villagers who lived at the base of the hill.

“One month?” Zhengting checked, looking at his brothers who took up either side of him. They both nodded and he took a deep breath before going to knock on the grand door in front of them. “One month it is.”


	2. Chapter 1: Adam

Minghao watched as Zhengting knocked on the door, the sound loud and resounding. He shifted slightly when there was a bit of commotion coming from inside, voices calling back and forth. He felt Zhengting’s hand trying to still him, though the oldest still held a calm expression as he stared at the door in front of them. Soon enough, the door swung open with some force, revealing the face of what seemed to be a sour old man.

“What do you kids want?” He snarled, raking the three over with a glare. Minghao lowered his gaze alongside Quanzhe, Zhengting being the only one who kept his head held high as he addressed the man who opened the door.

“Good afternoon. We’re travellers who are staying in this village for a while. We were informed of some possible work we could assist you with?” Zhengting’s voice was as smooth and clear as ever, his even tone seeming to bring the bristly older man down a few notches. For added effect, he tilted his head to one side and smiled.

“Work? Who told you of any work here?” The man asked, though with a little less poison than before. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the brothers once more, as if he was searching for something. Minghao saw Quanzhe scoot a little more behind Zhengting from the corner of his eye, obviously not taking well to this man.

“The older gentleman who was sweeping the steps of the church. He had a bad cough?” Zhengting gestured back towards the main part of town, not losing his smile as he spoke.

The old man snorted and went to close the door on them, shuffling back into the house. “Leave! I’ve no work for you here! You’d be better off finding another village!”

“W-wait! Please! We can do anything!” Minghao perked up slightly, listening to Quanzhe’s words. Usually, his twin would stay silent during times like this, leaving the talking up to Zhengting. That was, until Minghao noticed the charm behind his words. There was a bit of mana power put into them, which didn’t exactly make them into a full charm, but definitely some power to sway the old man.

The old man stopped for a moment before snorting, leaving the door open and walking into the house. His demeanor seemed to change slightly at the words, his hunched back becoming slightly more straight. “Fine. Come in and we can see if I have something. Close the door behind you.”

“Oh, y-yessir!” Quanzhe beamed as he looked at his two brothers before following in behind the old man. Zhengting looked mildly annoyed before following behind him, leaving Minghao to bring up the end. They entered the house, which was painted a light blue color, and looked around the entryway. The house itself was quite large and decorated with fancy ornaments and trinkets along the walls and on various shelfs. There were stairs that lead to a second floor in front of them, but Quanzhe had followed the old man to the left, into what looked like some kind of parlor room. It too had various decorations filling it, alongside some plush looking furniture and tables. The old man sat down on a large chair, motioning for the brothers to sit on the couch across from him.

Oddly enough, Zhengting had paused while walking in. He was staring at a mirror hanging by the entrance, the edges of it designed with an intricate silver design. Minghao stopped and watched him, the eldest’s brown eyes fixed on the mirror. His expression didn’t change, but it was clear to tell his mind was somewhere else. That is, until he was nudged slightly and attention was drawn away from the mirror. Quanzhe had come back over to tug Zhengting away from the mirror, tilting his head questioningly.

“Is something wrong?” The older twin asked softly, to which Zhengting said nothing and shook his head. Soon enough, the three were sitting on the couch across from the older man. There was this tension in the air that no one wanted to cut, but was eventually broken by a small cough from Zhengting. He opened his mouth to speak, but was quickly cut off before he could actually say anything.

“Introduce yourselves,” the old man said gruffly, sitting back in the chair and looking the three over again.

“I’m Theo, the oldest,” Zhengting began, dipping his head slightly. “These are my twin younger brothers, Lee and Justin. They’re five years younger than me, sir.” Quanzhe and Minghao both dipped their head as their respective names were mentioned. “I turned 22 this past year, and they both turned 17 as well. Our parents were apothecaries who were-” Zhengting shut his mouth as the old man waved his hand, motioning for Zhengting to stop.

“I don’t care about anything else. You’re both 17?” He fixed his gaze on Minghao and Quanzhe, both of whom sat on either side of Zhengting.

“Yessir, our birthday was 8 moons ago.” Minghao decided it was his turn to speak this time after keeping his silence thus far. He watched as the old man nodded, lacing his fingers as he sat back in his chair.

For a while, no one said anything. Minghao shifted uncomfortably, not liking the look the old man was giving all three of them, but he knew better to say anything. Last time he spoke up against someone, he was met with a harsh injury to his head which required several days of rest, even with Quanzhe’s skills. Now he learned to keep his mouth shut unless necessary.

Eventually, the man spoke up, but this time he wasn’t talking to any of them. “Adam! Come down here right now!” It was followed by a firm stomp of the man’s cane as he stood up from the couch. Minghao hadn’t seen it there before, but now he was slightly more afraid of what this old man was capable of.

“You called?” The boy who came down from the stairs looked more annoyed than anything, running a hand through his wild, what looked to be fresh from bed, hair. He quickly stopped once he saw the three on the couch, looking between them and the old man.

“Pick one to be your servant. I know you’ve been asking for once and they’re pretty close to your age. The other two will work around the house until they leave. Send them to Jeffrey once you’re done. I’ll be in my study if you need anything.” With that, the old man hobbled deeper into the house with a wave, leaving the brothers with Adam. All of them exchanged awkward glances, once again lost on what to do.

Minghao frowned, not being able to hold back his thoughts once the old man left. “What crawled up his ass and died?” He tried to whisper to his brothers, but it came out louder than what he wanted. He felt Zhengting hit his side, while Adam snorted from the other side of the room. He pouted and rubbed his side as Adam came over, holding one hand up.

“That’s the most accurate thing I’ve heard in a while. Nice one.” Minghao looked up and shifted away slightly, afraid of being hit. He turned his gaze downward, eyes fixed on the polished floor under them. He even felt Zhengting stiffen as his side, hand resting on Minghao’s thigh reassuringly. Adam frowned, moving forward. He waved his hand in front of Minghao’s face in an attempt to get the younger to look up. “Hello? Anyone in there?”

“I-I don’t know what you mean?” The youngest brother looked to his side, biting his lip slightly. What had he done wrong? Adam didn’t sound upset and the hand hadn’t come down to strike him yet, so the confusion was really starting to set in. “I-I’m sorry?”

Adam blinked, looking at his raised hand before looking back at Minghao. “Have you… Never given a high five before?” When his response was only a shaking head, Adam only shook his head. “Alright, you’re coming with me. You two can find Jeffrey outback. He can explain things to you a little more.”

Zhengting rose and nodded his head, motioning for Quanzhe to join him. “Thank you. We’ll take our leave.” Zhengting bowed slightly, Quanzhe following the motion. Before he left, the eldest went over to Minghao, hugging him tightly and planting a soft kiss on his head with a soft whisper of comforting words. Quanzhe followed suit, hugging his twin tightly, before following his brother out.

Now, Minghao was left there with Adam. He didn’t say anything at first, he didn’t even know what would be proper to say. It didn’t help that Adam was looking him over, causing Minghao to blush slightly. His eyes seemed to tear into him and search him from the inside out by the sheer intensity of his gaze alone. Minghao shifted back on the couch, but that only caused Adam to come closer.

“I-Is there something wrong with me? I swear I’ll be able to do my job just fine...” Adam looked down at Minghao as he spoke, lifting one brow.

“No, no. I’m just… trying to figure something out.” He said softly, moving closer to the younger boy.

Immediately, the twin’s mind was racing a million miles a minute. Hadn’t the guy from the church say this was a pastor’s house? If this kid was related to the pastor, could he possibly be a witch hunter? Usually, Zhengting was good at dealing with these kinds of situations, smooth talking his way out of anything, but without him, Minghao was useless. It was only on rare occasions he was left to talk with their employers, and even then Zhengting was usually by his side, helping him say what he needed to. The twin swallowed loudly, cheeks flushing red as Adam took him by one hand and spun him around playfully into his arms. Once Adam was satisfied with twirling Minghao, he tried to regain his footing, shaking his head slightly. That only proved to make the dizzy feeling worse, sadly.

“C-Can I help you at all?”

“Okay, I think I got everything I needed!” Adam took a step back and nodded, arms crossing over his chest. “And just as I thought, you’re totally missing something!”

“M-Missing something?” Minghao echoed, looking up at Adam curiously. The other boy was only a little bit taller than him, but the feeling was certainly something he wasn’t used to. He was taller than Quanzhe, despite being younger, and was nearly level with Zhengting. Adam had a few inches on him, for sure.

“Yeah! You seem like someone who doesn’t even know how to have fun!” Adam said with a laugh, ruffling Minghao’s hair. The younger merely stared back dumbly before blinking. A strange emotion seemed to boil up inside him as he batted away Adam’s hand.

“Not true! I’m plenty knowledgeable on how to have fun! You can’t tell that just by looking at someone!” Minghao ended with an indignant pout, doing his best to glare at Adam. It seemed to be lost, though, as the older merely laughed.

“Oh yeah? Well then why don’t you show me!”

“I will!”

“Will you?”

“Just you watch!” Minghao felt himself getting more and more flustered as Adam’s smirk grew before he let out a huff and turned around, heading back towards the front door. He turned around before opening it, realizing that Adam wasn’t behind him. “Well? Are you coming or not?”

“Oh, we’re starting now?” Adam’s face showed slight surprise before slipping back into his usual playful expression. “Count me in then!”

Heading outside, Minghao knew this was probably going to be the most difficult job yet, but truth be told, he was positive he was nowhere near ready for it. Too bad he couldn’t turn back now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This is a fic I'm just doing for fun, so I apologize for the short chapter. That's probably how they'll all be so I hope you can understand :) See you next time!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm taking a class on magic and religion, which includes witchcraft, so a lot of the stuff I add will probably be from there. I'm gonna try to update both this one and my BiTIng fic, so please be paitent! Thanks for reading~


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